Clean Diesel

While Europe has received diesel BMWs in four and six-cylinder guise for decades, U.S. buyers have only been allowed a small selection--which shrunk further when BMW discontinued the 2011 335d. That's about to change, reports Motor Authority, as BMW has confirmed it will soon offer a 2.0-liter...

Volkswagen has announced pricing details for its 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, the only clean diesel vehicle in the compact coupe category. When it goes on sale in August, the Beetle TDI will retail for $23,295 in manual transmission form. With a six-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic, you'll pay $1,100...

The 2011 BMW 335d is quite a machine. With gasoline-rivalling power and performance and gasoline-shaming economy, it seems to offer the best of both worlds. That's only set to improve in the next generation based on the new 3-Series, but will U.S. buyers be getting the ActiveHybrid 3 instead of a...

While Volkswagen didn't host a press conference to launch its new diesel Beetle, the carmaker put the 2013 Beetle TDI on display at the Chicago Auto Show in its first U.S. appearance. It's really the return of a long-lost friend, since VW sold the previous-generation New Beetle with a 1.9-liter...

It's been six years since the last Volkswagen Beetle TDI was on sale in North America, but Volkswagen has now announced a brand new model. Due to be launched at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI is set to combine retro style with modern-day gas mileage. VW is predicting...

Volkswagen is one of the few automakers to have consistently produced diesel-powered cars for the U.S. market. In fact, we told you last week that a 1974-1983 diesel VW Rabbit was still one of the most fuel-efficient classic cars you could buy. Its direct descendant -- the 2012 VW Golf TDI Clean...

The Mazda 2.0-liter Sky-D clean-diesel engine, when it makes its debut in a year or two, will almost certainly be the cleanest of the lot.

Volkswagen's TDI diesel engines have long attracted fans and repeat buyers. But now a second investigation this year into the reliability of its TDI engines may cast a shadow over its newest fuel-efficient clean-diesel vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week launched...

We get some of our most interesting topics from reader questions. Past questions include how emergency responders should react to hybrid and electric cars, and whether towing a Prius behind a motorhome is a good idea. Today, we have a query about green cars (not trucks) that offer all-wheel drive...

Almost 1,000 clean-diesel versions of the 2012 BMW X5 crossover will be recalled to replace a part that could cause the power steering to fail. Only the diesel model, known as the X5 xDrive35d, is affected. The X5 xDrive 35i and 50i versions with gasoline engines are not part of the recall...

We tend to get a lot of "What car should we buy?" questions at GreenCarReports, and we'll usually respond with a list of questions to narrow down the choices. Recently, though, our high-school friend Sarah Sette in Baltimore sent the following note: We are car shopping, seriously this time. The...

Got a 2009 or 2010 Volkswagen Golf or Jetta with the TDI clean diesel engine? Or an Audi A3 TDI? Ever had the engine stall unexpectedly? If so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration might like to hear from you. The NHTSA announced Friday on its website that it is upgrading an...

German automakers have spent time and money on ad campaigns promoting clean diesels as the better way to improve fuel economy, so far with limited results. But that could change when Audi brings a TDI diesel version of its best-selling A4 model to the U.S. So far, its only TDI offerings are the Q7...

Although Honda designed and sold the world's second hybrid-electric car, the 1999-2006 Insight, the company hasn't done nearly as well in hybrids as its larger rival Toyota. Now the company has reinforced its earlier suggestion that it would significantly beef up its hybrid efforts by providing...

Like many site editors, we read our traffic stats religiously. Perhaps unlike other site editors, ours frequently make us laugh. We try to provide practical information on navigating your way through the confusing claims made about 'green' cars, whether they're hybrids, clean diesels, or just very...

The list of cars offered to U.S. buyers in gasoline, diesel, and hybrid models is going to get longer. On the heels of its confirmation that the 2012 BMW 5-Series will be offered with a full hybrid system, the company has also confirmed it'll sell a clean diesel version of the new 5-Series in the...

Many European countries use BMW sedans as patrol and pursuit cars. Now, BMW says it will sell more than 240,000 engines to U.S. police-car startup Carbon Motors for that company's cruiser. The big shock? They're diesel engines. Specifically, BMW's 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six clean diesel, as...

Mazda's always had cool technology. They're the only carmaker that's steadily developed the compact, high-output Wankel rotary engine, for instance. And they're known for powerful, high-revving piston engines and slick-shifting gearboxes. Then there's the green side of the brand, which already...

When automakers and the Obama White House announced agreement on a single national standard for emissions and fuel economy last May, the entire auto industry heaved a huge sigh of relief. The issue was settled, at least until 2016. Yesterday, however, the state of Texas filed suit in the U.S. Court...

It's beginning to look as if the worst is over for U.S. auto sales. The year that just closed was, in the immortal words of Queen Elizabeth II, an annus horribilis, with only 10.4 million vehicles sold, down 21 percent on 2008 and the lowest total since 1982. But some light seems to be appearing on...